Details of the Cornell Seal at Myron Taylor Hall.

Applicant Help and FAQs

Thank you for your interest in the Cornell Engineering Management Program. We are currently accepting applications for our distance learning program. To help you prepare your online application, please review the guidelines and tips below.

We also have a number of FAQs at the bottom of the page that address the most common questions we receive. We hope this information is helpful and we look forward to receiving your application!

Our Programs

The on-campus program is a full-time, residential Master of Engineering degree program in Ithaca, NY. Applicants do not need work experience to apply.

The distance learning program is a part-time, online Master of Engineering degree program for working professionals. Applicants need at least 2 years of work experience to apply.

Application deadline for on-campus learning:

February 1st

Application deadline for distance learning:

Spring 2025 Deadline: December 1st

Summer 2025 Deadline: March 20th

Fall 2025 Deadline: June 1st

Application Materials

A complete application includes:

Online application
Academic Statement of Purpose
Personal Statement
Technical writing sample
Transcripts
Three (3) letters of recommendation
Meet English Language Proficiency Requirement
Application fee
Resume

We will interview a select group of students prior to admission to the program.

Academic Statement of Purpose

The Academic Statement of Purpose helps the admissions committee understand your academic objectives and determine if you are a good match for the program. The goal of this document is to impress upon the admissions committee that you have solid background and experience, and that you have the potential to be successful in graduate study.

Personal Statement

The Personal Statement is an opportunity to provide us with more information about you. Please highlight any lived experiences or interactions – including successes, failures, conflicts, injustices, or journeys of self-discovery – that have significantly shaped or serve to demonstrate your problem solving, communication, collaboration and teamwork, leadership, maturity and self-awareness, endurance, and/or resilience

Technical Writing Sample

The writing sample demonstrates your ability to synthesize and communicate quantitative information. Acceptable documents include but are not limited to a technical analysis, project or company report, white paper, published article, or projects/reports from a STEM course. If redacting the technical writing sample, we respectfully request that you ensure the submission is coherent and allows the admissions team to make an informed decision about your abilities.

Transcripts

Applicants are required to upload an unofficial transcript for each College/ University which you attended.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendations are a required part of the application. Recommendation writers should be able to evaluation your motivation for and aptitude in pursuing graduate education. Applicants and their recommendation writers must use the online form. We recommend contacting your references early.

Current Cornell students who are applying for the Early Admit program need only two letters of recommendation. Where the application asks for contact information for a third person, Early Admit applicants should add contact information with engmanagement_grad@cornell.edu.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

All applicants must be able to demonstrate a minimum required level of English language proficiency in order to be considered for admission. More information is available on the M.Eng. Programs Application Guide.

Missing Materials

If we receive an incomplete application, we will follow up with you about any missing materials and give you an opportunity to send missing files to us via email. Letters of recommendation can be received up to 2 weeks after the application deadline, but a lack of letters in an otherwise complete application delays our admissions decision.

Fellowships/Funding

All on-campus applicants are considered for merit-based funding through the College of Engineering. Approximately 12% of incoming students receive partial merit-based funding. The Lester B. Knight or McMullen Diversity Fellowship require supplemental essays. Please review the “Tuition and Scholarships” page for either the On-Campus or Distance Learning program for additional information and guidelines.

FAQs

You ask, we answer! Here are our most common questions as the application deadline approaches. We have additional FAQs available on our website.

Do you offer application waivers?

There are no application fee waivers for the Engineering Management M.Eng. degree program, as it is a self-funded graduate degree program.

Do I qualify for the program?

Please review our admissions pages for the program you are applying for. We often receive this question from people with non-engineering or non-technical backgrounds. Our strength as a program is broadening and deepening technical skills and you must have a STEM background that includes coursework in Calc 1, Calc 2, Calc 3, Differential Equations, and a physics-based probability and statistics course. We do not accept candidates with 3-year Bachelor’s degrees.

My test scores will not be sent before the February 1 deadline. What should I do?

We will accept official scores until February 28. However, please note that the application itself must be submitted by the February 1st deadline date. Scores should be sent to Cornell’s Institution code 2098.

Do you accept Duolingo or the TOEFL/IELTS home test?

COVID-19 has disrupted the ability of applicants in countries worldwide to take in-person English language proficiency exams. Both IELTS and ETS are providing at-home testing solutions in most countries. If a safe in-person option is not available for you, you may submit results from the IELTS Indicator, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, or the TOEFL ITP Plus for China. We are not accepting any other English Language Proficiency exams at this time (e.g. Pearson, Duolingo DET, etc.).

Am I exempt from the English language proficiency requirement?

Please review exemption criteria here.

My recommender(s) will not be able to submit letters by February 1. What should I do?

We can accept letters after the deadline, but please encourage them to submit as soon as possible. We will begin to review applications on a rolling basis in early January.

My recommender(s) did not get an email from Cornell to submit a letter. What should I do?

The email to your recommenders should come from the email address help@applyweb.com. If it is not in their spam folder, please have your letter writers email a letter directly to engmanagement_grad@cornell.edu with the subject line “Recommendation Letter for YOUR NAME.” Once your application is in the system as submitted, we will be able to upload a letter on our side. Be sure to submit the rest of your application by the February 1 deadline.

Can I have all of my letters come from all professional references (or all academic references)?

Yes. Please choose recommenders who know you best.

Are there funding opportunities for international applicants?

International applicants are eligible for the College of Engineering merit-based fellowships, Knight Fellowship, and merit-based graderships. We are a professional program with a limited number of partial scholarships. Most students are self-funded.

How do I apply for the Knight Scholarship?

A supplemental essay is required for the Knight Scholarship and can be included in your application as long as it’s uploaded prior to submitting the application. Anyone wishing to be considered after submitting their application but prior to the February 1st deadline, can email their essay directly to engmanagement_grad@cornell.edu with the subject line “Fellowship Essay for YOUR NAME.”

I need to make a change or upload a document to my submitted application. What should I do?

Email the change or attachment to engmanagement_grad@cornell.edu with the subject line “Change to Application for YOUR NAME.”

Do my scores/GPA qualify me for the program?

We cannot evaluate your candidacy before you officially apply. If you meet the College of Engineering minimum GPA of 2.7 out of 4.0 and have a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, you are eligible to apply.

More information about minimum English language proficiency scores is available here.

What is the admissions team looking for?

We evaluate candidates on multiple measures and applications are reviewed by several members of the admissions team (including faculty). Select candidates are interviewed prior to a final decision. Students will be invited to interview by email.

I am a current Cornell student and I have questions about Early Admit. Who should I talk to?

Please email the Engineering Management Program Coordinator, Diana Peppin, to schedule a meeting.

I have questions about OPT/CPT and Visas, who should I contact?

Please visit the Global Learning website: https://globallearning.cornell.edu/

When can I expect a decision?

In general, decisions will be made within 6 weeks of the application deadline once all application materials (including test scores and letters of recommendation) are received. We will begin interviewing candidates who meet minimum requirements in mid-January over the web-conferencing platform, Zoom. If you are selected for an interview, more details will follow.

When I log in to the application system, my application says “pending” or “in progress,” but I already submitted all of my materials.

As test scores are matched up between systems it can take up to 2 weeks for scores to be added to your application. If an application is incomplete when it becomes available to us for review, we will reach out to you.